Who We Are

We conduct numerous field expeditions each year to destinations across Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and the West Indies.

We are a premier international destination for research and training. Current students, postdocs, visiting scholars, and curators include representatives from at least four countries. The graduate program typically includes a half dozen or more full-time students. Dozens of former students hold distinguished positions at research universities, museums, zoos, and in government.

We are home to one of the largest collections of preserved reptile and amphibian specimens, and the collections are accessed tens of thousands of times each year via HerpNet/VertNet, loans of physical specimens, and on-site visits.

History

KU Herpetology's history dates back to the early 20th century and features contributions from numerous prominent herpetologists, including Edward H. Taylor, William Duellman, Linda Trueb, and Henry Fitch. Curator Emeritus William Duellman will publish a comprehensive history of KU Herpetology in 2015. In the meantime, this brief summary covers major events in the history of KU herpetology.

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Herpetology at a Glance

(Amphibians and Reptiles)

Established: 1900

Collection Strengths: 340,000 specimens

Current Research Strengths: biogeography of the Philippines, New World anurans, and West Indian anoles